V90 D4 Engine Management Light.

[Brennain1]

I have a 20 plate V90 D4 24,000 mls with an auto gearbox which i've owned for 3 years. When I first bought the used car I had no issues whatsoever. 6 months down the line the Engine Management Light came on and after taking the vehicle into a Volvo dealership they diagnosed the fault and replaced 2 sensors within the exhaust under warranty. Approx 12 months later the Engine Management Light once again appeared but after a quick blast around the M60 to get the vehicle serviced the light disappeared. As I only do short local trips and low mileage in a year the mechanic told me that I needed to take the car for a blast around the motorway, keeping the revs above 1500 RPM using the manual gearbox.
Now I've done this most months but not all, anyway 10 months later and the Engine Management Light is back on again. I've taken the car for a spin around the M60 doing as the mechanic suggested but the light is still there! I don't have a code reader but suspect the fault is once again to do with one of the sensors within the exhaust.
My questions are;
What is likely to be happening and which sensors are likely to be at fault? What do I need to do to prevent this from happening again? I've read about Regen and DPF sensors and filters but basically have no idea what I'm looking at so if somebody could take the time to explain what Regen is and how it applies to me I'd be most grateful. Lastly it would seem that I need to get a code reader so could somebody please recommend one and perhaps even provide a link, also would I need an app for my phone?
Many Thanks.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Brennain1

I have a 20 plate V90 D4 24,000 mls with an auto gearbox which i've owned for 3 years. When I first bought the used car I had no issues whatsoever. 6 months down the line the Engine Management Light came on and after taking the vehicle into a Volvo dealership they diagnosed the fault and replaced 2 sensors within the exhaust under warranty. Approx 12 months later the Engine Management Light once again appeared but after a quick blast around the M60 to get the vehicle serviced the light disappeared. As I only do short local trips and low mileage in a year the mechanic told me that I needed to take the car for a blast around the motorway, keeping the revs above 1500 RPM using the manual gearbox.
Now I've done this most months but not all, anyway 10 months later and the Engine Management Light is back on again. I've taken the car for a spin around the M60 doing as the mechanic suggested but the light is still there! I don't have a code reader but suspect the fault is once again to do with one of the sensors within the exhaust.
My questions are;
What is likely to be happening and which sensors are likely to be at fault? What do I need to do to prevent this from happening again? I've read about Regen and DPF sensors and filters but basically have no idea what I'm looking at so if somebody could take the time to explain what Regen is and how it applies to me I'd be most grateful. Lastly it would seem that I need to get a code reader so could somebody please recommend one and perhaps even provide a link, also would I need an app for my phone?
Many Thanks.

If this is related to the DPF…

Its the short journeys in a diesel that’s likely causing the problems and will continue to cause issues. Diesel cars need to be driven, they don’t like short trips. These modern cars are loaded with sensors. Older cars that had DPF’s were maybe a little more forgiving doing short trips, but these new ones will give you nothing but headaches and expense doing the same.

With regards to regen, the car does it automatically by itself after so many miles. Basically, the car knows when its time to burn the soot off that clogs the DPF… this is what regen is. Its likely that your car isn’t getting chance to regen because its not on the motorway much. Essentially, the DPF is clogging up.

How long of a motorway trip are you doing? It needs to be at least 20 minutes at a constant speed.

Honestly, you’re better off with a petrol engine, based on the style of driving you do. There’s nothing you can do to stop DPF issues in a diesel, apart from run it on the motorway regularly to clear the DPF. Short journeys are usually the primary cause of DPF problems in a diesel engine. If you don’t want the hassle of costly repairs, I think you should consider ditching diesel.

[rhd443]

I would go to Halfords and buy some carlube double concentrate dpf additive, put the whole bottle in just before adding diesel, take it for a good hard run keeping the revs up, you will notice it work wonders to the emissions system.

It has put lights out on many different cars I have, we have a diesel with a dpf and do short journeys, this stuff keeps the light away 🙂

Revs wise, run it at 3-4000rpm for 10 mins on a motorway in 4th gear or something, this stuff will work wonders

[Brennain1]

Thanks for your reply Kev. When I used the car this morning the EML had gone, so it would suggest that my taking it for a blast around the motorway had done it's job. I use the car for towing my caravan, which was my primary reason for buying it. It looks like I'll have to perhaps increase the frequency of my blasts around the M60 to perhaps once a fortnight. If I'd still been working this wouldn't even be an issue as 99% of my journey to work was on the motorway.

[Brennain1]

rhd443, thanks for replying, I'll look into this product and have a chat with the garage that does my servicing, anything as you say to keep that light away!

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Brennain1

Thanks for your reply Kev. When I used the car this morning the EML had gone, so it would suggest that my taking it for a blast around the motorway had done it's job. I use the car for towing my caravan, which was my primary reason for buying it. It looks like I'll have to perhaps increase the frequency of my blasts around the M60 to perhaps once a fortnight. If I'd still been working this wouldn't even be an issue as 99% of my journey to work was on the motorway.

I understand. As you say, more frequent spins on the motorway will help. I’ve heard that product mentioned by the poster above is good. Worth a try every now and again combined with regular motorway drives.

[Brennain1]

Yes will certainly look into this, was also wondering if it was worthwhile getting a code reader and if so which one as I don’t have a clue.

[Carabind]

Foxwell are pretty much middle of the road in terms of code readers. Will depend on your budget. The more you spend , the more it’ll do (like ability to use on other cars, service light reset etc